People Celebrate Independence in Pakistan and India Ca. 1947

On August 14, 1947, Britain granted independence to the Indian Empire, partitioning it into Hindu India and Muslim Pakistan. Islamic nationalist leader Mohammed Ali Jinnah became the governor-general of Pakistan, and Indian nationalist leader Jawaharlal Nehru became prime minister of India, with Earl of Burma Louis Mountbatten as governor-general. Although independence from the British Empire had been a long sought-after goal, the creation of two separate states meant the displacement of millions of Hindus and Muslims, and the deaths of millions in the resulting territorial disputes over Kashmir and Hyderabad.